Tag Archives: Tea

I recently entered a competition to design a tea for the company Tea Horse which would be sold on their website. Well I only went and won!

My tea, ‘Pistachio Rose‘ was inspired by a delicious pistachio cake I had tried and flavours I had experienced on a trip to Morocco. I love the flavours of rose and often make my own tea with rose buds and green tea. The introduction of the pistachios was thanks to the cake!

I’ve been noticing a lot of subscription food companies lately. It seems like a very fruitful idea and there are some excellent varieties available. It was on Twitter that I discovered the most appealing one so far, and it isn’t even offering food!

Tea Horse is a subscription website allowing you to experience the world of loose leaf tea. For just £11.95 per month, Tea Horse will send you a box of four different teas based on a different tea theme every month. In each box, you receive the teas, neatly packaged with instructions on how to brew and enjoy them, 40 tea filters and a little booklet full of tea information.

I love tea and have really got into my loose leaf tea recently so I was very happy when Tea Horse offered to send me their July box to review. July’s box was called Eastern Promises and contained a combination of traditional teas from china and new innovations from India.

I started my tasting session with Jasmine Pearls from China. I love floral tea and Jasmine is one of my favourites. Each pack of tea is foil wrapped and when opened, releases the most gorgeous fresh scent. The Jasmine tea smelt deliciously floral with a hint of green tea. It smelt amazing but once brewed, it smelt even sweeter. Flavourwise, the tea was lovely. It had the subtle jasmine taste that I love. Still a firm favourite.

The next morning I broke into the Earl Grey. The first thing that struck me about this one was the gorgeous fresh, citrus smell. What could be better in the morning? Once brewed, the tea had that nice perfumed taste that Earl Grey is known for but it had none of the harsh flavours that I sometimes associate with it. I don’t usually like Earl Grey without milk but this one was lovely and I could have happily drunk it with or without milk.

Later that day I sampled the Rolling Thunder Oolong. It had that deep, rich oolong scent and lovely long leaves. Oolong isn’t my most favourite usually as I can find it a bit bitter but this one was a good one. It had a full flavour and was a lovely golden colour. Once brewed it smelt beautifully sweet.

Lastly was the Rohini Enigma which has become my comfort tea. It smelt more like the tea I was used to but with a hint of spice. It was a delicious black tea, very subtle and elegant. I usually take tea with milk but I actually prefered this one without milk.

I was very impressed with July’s box and I will definitely be subscribing to Tea Horse as I think it is an excellent way to try a variety of teas. Each box comes with all the information you need and the website is excellent. It’s very easy to navigate and each box is clearly explained. There is also a shop online if you’d like to purchase tea without subscribing.
Now, I’m off for a cuppa…

Like this:

Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved tea, I haven’t just discovered it or anything. The thing is, while I love experimenting with food, trying new ingredients and different flavour combinations, my tea habit has always been satisfied by your average tea bag jobby. While there is nothing better than a cuppa after a hard day or first thing in the morning, I’ve started to get a bit bored and have started to see what else is out there.

After a bit of experimentation with various herbal and floral teas, a recent trip to Morocco really set things running. With a heat wave of 54 degrees (yes seriously!) we spent a lot of time ducking into cafes and eateries to avoid the heat so I took the opportunity to sample as many teas as I could.

I never thought of Morocco as a place for tea but it’s actually one of the biggest tea importers in the world. I sampled lots of varieties whilst on my travels but my favourite and I suppose the most obvious one was definitely the Moroccan Mint Tea which is made with green tea with mint leaves.

I became totally infatuated with it! Even on a hot day nothing could stop me having my mint tea. Made with fresh mint leaves, it was just so fresh and delicious. Usually beautifully served in a silver teapot and poured from a great height to produce a froth, it can be sweetened with sugar or just served as it is. More often than not it came with a delicious patisserie. Perfect!

Since coming home, I’m afraid to say my attempt at Moroccan Mint Tea has fallen short, a little more experimentation is needed. Maybe it’s because I’m drinking it in 15 degrees instead of the blazing sunshine, or maybe it’s because I don’t have the magical teapot. Either way, this has set me off on my quest to find out more about tea and to swap my boring old teabag for something more interesting.

Like this:

On Sunday 23rd October at 10am, I felt like I was the only person in Wales as I drove through Penylan on my way to meet Kate, the owner of the lovely 10 Maryport Cafe and to have a spot of breakfast. With everyone watching the world cup final the roads were deserted but I got a lovely warm welcome when I arrived and had the place to myself!

As I walked in, I was struck by how homely it felt. I had been to 10 Maryport before when it first opened about a year ago and it has changed quite a bit since then. It has developed a real warm, cosy feel with its comfy sofas at the front of the shop, shelves on the wall which are home to a quirky teapot lamp and books, magazine rack and notice board.

The decor is clean and fresh in white but with these new touches and more pictures added to the walls, it create a perfect balance between fresh and cosy. I have issue with going into cafes and restaurants alone, I find it quite uncomfortable but this is the sort of place I could happily sit with a coffee and a book.

As the match finished, customers began to trickle in and Kate was attentive to them all, stopping to chat and effortlessly bantering with the children. One thing that really appealed to me is that 10 Maryport is very child friendly. Children are clearly welcome and as well as space for puchchairs, changing facilities and high chairs, there is even a special childs menu. This isn’t just your average small portions either. Children can have jam, cheese or ham sandwiches cut into the shape of a teddy bear! What a lovely idea.

For us adults, we can choose from a range of breakfast options, brunch or Paninis. All options are simple favourites which again adds to the homely atmosphere. Sandwiches range from £3.25-£3.95 and are served with a salad garnish and paninis range from £3.75-£4.25 with a good range of meat and vegetarian options.

I opted for some Welsh Rarebit from the breakfast menu which was served with homemade caramelised onion chutney. The bread was chunky, it had lashings of cheese and the chutney was sweet and sticky. All as it should be and very nice.

10 Maryport also do afternoon tea at a good price. For £9 per person, you can tuck into a selection of sandwiches, a slice of homemade cake or scone with jam and clotted cream, served with your choice of hot drink. Cream teas are another option at just £5.

After a year of trading, 10 Maryport is beginning to find its niche and although there is a good selection of tea on offer, Coffee is proving to be the favourite, as is the breakfast menu. In such close proximity to Roath Park I think once people know 10 Maryport is there, it could become very popular indeed. When you’re next walking round Roath Lake, I suggest you visit 10 Maryport Cafe and see what you think. I will certainly be back.